The Academic Reading test assesses a wide range of reading skills including your ability to follow an argument, recognise a writer’s opinion, attitude or purpose. It looks at how well you can read to understand main ideas, details, opinions and implied meanings. Your reading comprehension skills are tested, covering skimming, scanning and reading for detail.
The Academic Reading test is made up of 3 long texts which are taken from current books, journals, magazines and newspapers. The texts are related to topics you might face if you were to study at an undergraduate or postgraduate level or apply for professional registration in an English-speaking environment.
You will have to answer 40 questions in the Academic Reading test. These questions can range from multiple choice to identifying information or a writer’s view, matching headings, features and sentence endings, as well as sentence, summary, note, table and flow-chart completions, and short-answer questions.
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For both paper-based and computer-delivered IELTS, you will do the tests in the following order on the same day: Listening, Reading and Writing, with the Speaking test before or after this test session.
Depending on the test centre, the Speaking test can be done on the same day, or up to 7 days either before or after the test date.
The Listening, Reading, and Writing parts of the test are completed immediately after each other on the same day. In some test centres, you will sit the Speaking test on the same day, or up to 7 days before or after your test date.
If you take computer-delivered IELTS, the Speaking test will be taken on the same day, either before, or after the other three parts of the test.
If you take a computer-delivered IELTS test, the Reading, Writing and Listening parts of the IELTS test are completed on a computer, but the Speaking test is completed face-to-face with an IELTS examiner.
Can you give us some practical tips to help read quicker and save time during the Reading test?
One of our IELTS Experts takes us through some quick tips to help you skim and save time in your IELTS Reading test.
What is your best strategy for tackling the Reading test?
Find out how to tackle the Reading test in IELTS. Hear tips from our IELTS Expert, Don.
What to expect in a computer-delivered IELTS test
Taking IELTS on a computer is a little different. Find out what your test day might look like, from the check-in process to each of the test parts.
Strategies for matching headings question type
Do you find the matching headings questions in IELTS Reading to be tricky? Here is a look at strategies that can help you answer these question types in a more effective way.
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Question types in the Academic Reading test